Corey Benjamin (pictured far right) is the firstborn child of an immigrant father from Haiti, and an immigrant mother from Liberia who in the early 1980s fled to the United States after a violent government coup in her home country. Corey says that growing up he recognized the deep sacrifices and struggles his parents overcame Read More
Category: Stories From the Network
This section houses interviews, stories, and art from the Public Allies network, including Allies, alumni, staff, partners, and donors.
FOR SOMALI-BORN HASSAN DAHIR, HELPING REFUGEES FEEL WELCOMED IN THEIR NEW COMMUNITIES IS DEEPLY PERSONAL WORK
When Hassan Dahir was barely a toddler, the central government of his country — Somalia — was overtaken by force and fell. During his boyhood years, Hassan’s country was dangerously divided between warring factions and violent armed groups. When he reached his teenage years, Hassan’s mother made a difficult and fateful decision that would change his Read More
AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR IN PRISON, YOUNG PHOENIX MAN CHANGED HIS LIFE COURSE AND JOINED PUBLIC ALLIES TO FIGHT FOR DISCONNECTED YOUTH
“I know what they’re going through, because I went through it.” This is how Felix Moran explains the value he brings to Opportunities for Youth, the organization where he is placed as an AmeriCorps Ally in Phoenix, Arizona. After going to prison at 17 for burglary, Felix struggled to get employment. But he was determined Read More
CINCINNATI ALLY SEES FRUITS OF HER WORK THROUGH STORY OF MAN WHO HAS BROKEN CHAINS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AFTER PRISON
Last September, Maria Todd began her 10 months of service as an AmeriCorps Ally with the organization Cincinnati Works, which helps individuals get on the road to economic self-sufficiency and away from poverty. In this story of hope and the power of service, Maria shares the story of a man, Hanif, whom she met right after he Read More